Wipe dispensers

ABSTRACT

Wipe dispensers are provided. In one aspect, a wipe dispenser includes a housing and a handle coupled to the housing. The housing defines a cavity that includes a liquid cavity portion adapted to receive liquid therein and a wipe cavity portion adapted to receive wipes therein. In another aspect, a wipe dispenser includes a housing including a first housing portion and a second housing portion with the first housing portion movable relative to the second housing portion. The housing defines a cavity therein. The wipe dispenser also includes a wall and a biasing member. The wall is positioned in the cavity and adapted to separate the cavity into a liquid cavity portion and a wipe cavity portion, and the biasing member is positioned between the first housing portion and the second housing portion. The biasing member is adapted to bias the first housing portion away from the second housing portion.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/756,155, filed Jan. 24, 2013, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to wipe dispensers and, more particularly, to wipe dispensers for dispensing pre-wetted wipes for use in a variety of environments.

BACKGROUND

Pre-wetted wipes and dry wipes exist and may have a variety of different uses. Such wipes may have a bag-type packaging that is removed to simultaneously expose all of the wipes or includes an opening in a top surface for individual dispensing. When the bag-type packaging is removed to expose all of the wipes, the wipes are exposed to contaminants prior to use. Some of such wipes may be exposed to contaminants for a lengthy amount of time prior to use depending on how long it takes to use the wipes. Moreover, pre-wetted wipes may begin to dry once exposed, thereby providing a lesser or insufficient quantity of moisture in the wipes. Wet wipes in bag-type packaging for individual dispensing may also allow premature drying of the wet wipes, thereby providing a lesser or insufficient quantity of moisture in the wipes. Other wipes may be packaged in plastic cylindrical containers with a lid or cover that may selectively be opened and closed to dispense wipes. Such containers have similar shortcomings as the bag-type packaging.

Furthermore, dry wipes exist and a spray dispenser/bottle may be used to dispense liquid onto either a surface or the dry wipe. The wipes are then used to wipe the surface. Spraying liquid onto a surface or onto a dry wipe likely results in uneven and inconsistent distribution of liquid on the surface or wipe. In addition, spraying liquid from a dispenser/bottle creates turbulence, which may further contaminate the environment.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a wipe dispenser is provided and includes a housing and a handle coupled to the housing. The housing defines a cavity therein and the cavity includes a liquid cavity portion adapted to receive liquid therein and a wipe cavity portion adapted to receive wipes therein. The housing and the handle may be unitarily formed as one-piece. The wipe dispenser may also include an internal wall positioned in the cavity and adapted to separate the cavity into the liquid cavity portion and the wipe cavity portion. The internal wall may be unitarily formed as one-piece with the housing. The wipe dispenser may further include a sealing member coupled to the internal wall. The sealing member may be adapted to allow liquid to pass there through from the liquid cavity portion to the wipe cavity portion. The housing may include a projection near an open end of the cavity in the housing, and the open end may have an opening area defined along a first plane and the wipe cavity portion may have a wipe cavity area defined along a second plane spaced-apart from and substantially parallel to the first plane, and the opening area may be smaller than the wipe cavity area. The housing may also include a bottom edge near the open end of the cavity, and the projection may extend from the bottom edge. The housing may define a recess therein aligned with the wipe cavity portion to facilitate grasping of the wipes in the wipe cavity portion. The housing may define an aperture there through in fluid communication with the fluid cavity portion, and liquid may be adapted to be introduced into the liquid cavity portion through the aperture. The wipe dispenser may also include an absorbent member positioned in the cavity. The absorbent member may be positioned in the wipe cavity portion and may be adapted to receive liquid from the liquid cavity portion prior to the liquid passing to the wipes.

In another aspect, a wipe dispenser is provided and includes a housing, a wall, and a biasing member. The housing includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion with the first housing portion movable relative to the second housing portion. The housing defines a cavity therein. The wall is positioned in the cavity and is adapted to separate the cavity into a liquid cavity portion and a wipe cavity portion. The biasing member is positioned between the first housing portion and the second housing portion and is adapted to bias the first housing portion away from the second housing portion. The wipe dispenser may also include a spray nozzle supported by the wall. The wipe dispenser may further include a sealing member supported by the wall. The housing may define an aperture there through in fluid communication with the fluid cavity portion, and liquid may be adapted to be introduced into the liquid cavity portion through the aperture. The housing may include a projection near an open end of the cavity in the housing, and the open end may have an opening area defined along a first plane and the wipe cavity portion may have a wipe cavity area defined along a second plane spaced-apart from and substantially parallel to the first plane, and the opening area may be smaller than the wipe cavity area. The housing may include a bottom edge near the open end of the cavity, and the projection may extend from the bottom edge. The wipe dispenser may also include an absorbent member positioned in the cavity. The absorbent member may be positioned in the wipe cavity portion and may be adapted to receive liquid from the liquid cavity portion prior to the liquid passing to wipes positioned in the wipe cavity portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of an exemplary wipe dispenser, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a bottom isometric view of the wipe dispenser shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wipe dispenser taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a similar reference line as FIG. 3 of another exemplary wipe dispenser, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a similar reference line as FIG. 3 of a further exemplary wipe dispenser, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of an exemplary wipe useable with the exemplary wipe dispensers shown in FIGS. 1-5, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of another exemplary wipe useable with the exemplary wipe dispensers shown in FIG. 1-5, in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary wipe dispenser 20 is illustrated and is adapted to support a plurality of wipes 24 therein. The wipes 24 may be either dry or wetted and used in a variety of different manners including, but not limited to, cleaning (e.g., by hand or by attaching to a cleaning implement), disinfecting, coating a surface, applying a solution to a surface, polishing shoes, baby wipes, etc.

Additional and more particular examples of utilizing the wipe 24 for cleaning purposes include, but are not limited to: cleaning surfaces, instruments, tools, sampling ports, and spills; contaminated areas in nuclear facilities; pharmaceutical isolators found in hospitals and pharmacies; bio-manufacturing facilities; aerospace; automotive manufacturing facilities; any environment requiring a wipe apparatus for cleaning and removing radioactive and nonradioactive chemical and nonchemical contaminants such as nuclear materials, radio-chemicals and high potency active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) used as medicines, biologically contaminated solutions, other fibers, dusts and microscopic particles; draping a disinfectant or sterilant-saturated wipe on surfaces to maintain surface wetness for improved activity; covering flammable liquids to quickly reduce their vapor pressure; applying chemicals or materials to surfaces in bio-manufacturing, nuclear, automotive, aerospace, or pharmaceutical facilities; etc.

In some exemplary embodiments, the wipe dispenser 20 is used in a sterile or aseptic environment such as, for example, a vaccine manufacturing facility and is beneficial because the wipe dispenser 20 does not bring viable bio-burden into the environment. Wipe dispensers appropriate for such environments, including the wipe dispensers disclosed herein, may be referred to as cleanroom compatible wipe dispensers.

With further reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the wipe dispenser 20 includes a housing 28 and a handle 32. In some exemplary embodiments, the wipe dispenser 20 is unitarily formed as one-piece during manufacturing. Thus, the housing 28 and the handle 32 are unitarily formed as one-piece. An exemplary manufacturing process may include plastic injection molding. In other exemplary embodiments including the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the housing 28 may include two portions that are coupled together subsequent to manufacturing. For example, a first portion may include an upper housing portion and the handle 32 unitarily formed as one-piece and a second portion may include a lower housing portion. The two housing portions may be coupled together in any manner such as, for example, bonding, adhering, fastening, etc. The wipe dispenser 20 may be made of a variety of different materials such as, for example, plastic, high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), stainless steel, or other chemically resistant polymers and materials. In some exemplary embodiments, the wipe dispenser 20 is made of a material capable of withstanding sterilization. One of many exemplary materials capable of withstanding sterilization includes HDPE. In embodiments where the housing 28 includes two portions, each of the two portions may be made of a different material or the two housing portions may be made of the same material.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and additional reference to FIG. 3, the housing 28 defines an internal cavity 36 open at a bottom of the housing 28. The cavity 36 is separated into a wipe cavity portion 40 and a liquid cavity portion 44 by an internal wall 48. In some embodiments including the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the internal wall 48 is unitarily formed as one-piece with the housing 28 (e.g., the upper portion as illustrated in FIG. 3). In other exemplary embodiments, the internal wall 48 is formed separately from the housing 28 and then coupled to the housing 28. The wipe cavity portion 40 is near an open end 52 of the cavity 36 and the liquid cavity portion 44 is on the other side of the internal wall 48 from the wipe cavity portion 40. A plurality of wipes 24 may be introduced into the wipe cavity portion 40 of the housing 28 through the open end 52 of the cavity 36. The wipes 24 are dry when introduced into the wipe cavity portion 40. Bottom edges of the housing 28 include a lip or projection 56 that projects inward toward a center of the wipe dispenser 20 to capture and assist with retaining the wipes 24 in the housing cavity 36. The lip 56 provides a reduced area that is smaller than an area in the wipe cavity portion 40. The area in the wipe cavity portion 40 is at least the same size as, and in some cases larger than, an area of the wipes 24, whereas the reduced area provided by the lip 56 is smaller than the area of the wipes 24. A recess 60 is defined in one of the sides of the housing 28 near the open end 52 of the cavity 36 to assist with grasping and removing wipes 24 from the wipe cavity portion 40 of the housing 28. Alternatively, a recess 60 may be defined in a similar manner on any number of the sides of the housing 28.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, liquid 64 may be introduced into the liquid cavity portion 44 of the housing 28 through an aperture 68 defined in the housing 28 and in liquid communication with the liquid cavity portion 44. A cap or seal 72 is coupled to the housing 28 to selectively seal the aperture 68. In other exemplary embodiments, liquid 64 may be prefilled into the liquid cavity portion 44 during manufacture of the wipe dispenser 20 and the wipe dispenser 20 is disposed of when the liquid 64 is exhausted.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, a sealing member 76 is coupled to and positioned in the internal wall 48, and is adapted to inhibit liquid 64 from prematurely passing through the internal wall 48 from the liquid cavity portion 44 to the wipe cavity portion 40. When desired, the sealing member 76 will allow the liquid 64 to pass from the liquid cavity portion 44 to the wipe cavity portion 40 to wet the wipes 24. A wide variety of sealing members 76 may be used and all of which are intended to be within the intended spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Exemplary sealing members 76 include, but are not limited to, a one-way valve, a pressure capillary mechanism, etc. In some exemplary embodiments, the wipe dispenser 20 may be positioned upside-down or with the open end 52 of the cavity 36 upward when it is desirable to keep the wipes 24 dry, and the wipe dispenser 20 may be flipped to position the open end 52 of the cavity 36 downward, thereby allowing the liquid 64 to pass through the sealing member 76 due to gravity and wet the wipes 24.

In some exemplary embodiments, the wipe dispenser 20 includes a cap or cover that is selectively coupled to the bottom of the housing 28 to cover the open end 52 of the cavity 36 and the wipes 24 positioned in the housing 28. The cap may be coupled to the housing 28 in a variety of manners including, but not limited to, friction-fit, interference-fit, or elastic-fit around the bottom end of the housing 28, fastened, snap-fit or in any other positively coupled manner, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 4, another exemplary embodiment of a wipe dispenser 20A is illustrated. Similarities between the wipe dispenser 20A illustrated in FIG. 4 and the wipe dispenser 20 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 are identified with the same reference number and an “A”.

The wipe dispenser 20A includes an absorbent member 80 coupled to the housing 28A in the housing cavity 36A. The absorbent member 80 is positioned underneath and in contact with the internal wall 48A. The absorbent member 80 is adapted to absorb the liquid 64A released from the liquid cavity portion 44A and evenly distribute the liquid 64A throughout all the plurality of wipes 24A. The absorbent member 80 may be made of a wide variety of materials including, but not limited to, polyurethane, other foams, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a further exemplary embodiment of a wipe dispenser 20B is illustrated. Similarities between the wipe dispenser 20B illustrated in FIG. 5 and the wipe dispensers 20, 20A illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 are identified with the same reference number and a “B”.

The wipe dispenser 20B includes a two part housing comprised of an upper housing portion 84 and a lower housing portion 88. The upper housing portion 84 is movable relative to the lower housing portion 88. One or more biasing members 92 such as, for example, coil springs, are positioned between the upper and lower housing portions 84, 88 to bias the upper housing portion 84 upward and away from the lower housing portion 88. A liquid cavity portion 44B is defined in the upper housing portion 84 above the internal wall 48B and a wipe cavity portion 40B is defined in the lower housing portion 88 below the internal wall 48B. The wipe dispenser 20B also includes a spray nozzle 96 coupled to the internal wall 48B. A user may depress the upper housing portion 84 against the bias of the biasing members 92, thereby increasing the pressure in the liquid cavity portion 44B and forcing liquid 64B to spray from the spray nozzle 96. The spray nozzle 96 sprays liquid 64B onto the plurality of wipes 24B positioned in the wipe cavity portion 40B to wet the wipes 24B. When the user releases the downward force on the upper housing portion 84, the biasing members 92 force the upper housing portion 84 upward away from the lower housing portion 88 to return the upper housing portion 84 to its upward at rest position. A user may repeatedly depress the upper housing portion 84 as many times as desired to wet the wipes 24B a desired amount.

Alternatively, the wipe dispenser 20B illustrated in FIG. 5 may include a sealing member in the internal wall rather than a spray nozzle. Depressing the upper housing portion 84 toward the lower housing portion 88 forces liquid 64B through the sealing member and onto the plurality of wipes 24B. The wipe dispenser 20B illustrated in FIG. 5 may also include an absorbent member similar to the absorbent member illustrated in FIG. 4 to assist with evenly distributing liquid 64B throughout the wipes. In other exemplary embodiments, other devices or mechanisms may be positioned in, coupled to and/or supported by the internal wall to allow liquid to pass from the liquid cavity portion 44B to the wipe cavity portion 40B and wet the wipes 24B, and all of such possibilities are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The wipe dispensers described herein are adapted to contain a wide variety of types of liquid for a wide variety of uses. For example, the liquid may be a cleaning solution, shoe polish, alcohol, alcohol-water solution ranging from about 6 percent to about 100 percent alcohol, baby wipe liquid, surfactant solutions, chemical treatment solutions, disinfectants, detergents, etc.

As indicated above, a variety of different types of wipes may be supported within and dispensed from the exemplary wipe dispensers described herein. With reference to FIG. 6, one exemplary wipe 24C is illustrated. The wipe 24C includes two plys of material 100 that may be ultrasonically welded together and may be made of a wide variety of materials. One such exemplary material includes polyester. The two plys of material 100 may be ultrasonically welded together in a pin dot pattern. The wipes 24C are sized and shaped for support within the wipe dispensers. In some embodiments, the wipe 24C may be sterilized using a sterilization process such as, for example, gamma irradiation.

Referring now to FIG. 7, another exemplary wipe 24D useable with the wipe dispensers described herein is illustrated. This wipe 24D includes two plys of material 100D similar to the wipe 24C illustrated in FIG. 6, but also includes a third layer of material 104 comprised of a film. The film 104 is ultrasonically welded to the two plys of material 100D. The film 104 may have a wide variety of thicknesses. In one example, the film 104 includes a thickness of about 3 mils. Moreover, the film 104 may be made of a wide variety of materials such as, for example, plastic, low density polyethylene (LDPE), etc. The film 104 may be colored coded relative to the two plys of material 100D. The film 104 may be any color and such color coding may relate to characteristics of the wipe 24D (e.g., type of liquid on the wipe, purpose or use of the wipe, etc.) or distinguish between a side 108 of the wipe 24D that should be grasped by a user and a side 112 of the wipe 24D that should be wiped against a surface. When a user removes such a wipe 24D from a wipe dispenser, the film 104 may act as a physical barrier between a user's hand and a contaminated surface or side 112 of the wipe 24D. In some instances, a user should wear a glove when handling the wipes 24D. In such instances, the film 104 inhibits transmission of contamination from the wiping surface 112 of the wipe 24D to the glove, thereby reducing glove disposal due to contamination and resulting in less glove waste.

As indicated above, the wipes may have a variety of different uses. In one exemplary instance, a wipe may be wetted with an alcohol solution. The alcohol reduces adhesion forces (e.g., Van der Waals forces) that hold contaminants to a surface and allows the wetted wipe to capture and remove contaminants from a surface. As the wipe wipes across a surface, solution is applied to the surface desired to be cleaned, thereby providing the surface with a wet appearance. This wet appearance remains until the solution evaporates and/or is absorbed. This provides a visible or perceivable indication to the user of the portion of the surface that has already been wiped/cleaned and the surface still requiring wiping/cleaning Such a wetted wipe may provide more effective cleaning due to evenly distributed solution/liquid throughout the wipe (which may not be achieved by spraying liquid onto the wipe with a separate spray dispenser/bottle), and may reduce the spread of contaminating material (which may be induced by a spray dispenser/bottle turbulently spraying solution onto a surface and/or a wipe).

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

While various embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. 

1. A wipe dispenser comprising: a housing defining a cavity therein, wherein the cavity includes a liquid cavity portion adapted to receive liquid therein and a wipe cavity portion adapted to receive wipes therein; and a handle coupled to the housing.
 2. The wipe dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing and the handle are unitarily formed as one-piece.
 3. The wipe dispenser of claim 1, further comprising an internal wall positioned in the cavity and adapted to separate the cavity into the liquid cavity portion and the wipe cavity portion.
 4. The wipe dispenser of claim 3, wherein the internal wall is unitarily formed as one-piece with the housing.
 5. The wipe dispenser of claim 3, further comprising a sealing member coupled to the internal wall.
 6. The wipe dispenser of claim 5, wherein the sealing member is adapted to allow liquid to pass there through from the liquid cavity portion to the wipe cavity portion.
 7. The wipe dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a projection near an open end of the cavity in the housing, wherein the open end has an opening area defined along a first plane and the wipe cavity portion has a wipe cavity area defined along a second plane spaced-apart from and substantially parallel to the first plane, and wherein the opening area is smaller than the wipe cavity area.
 8. The wipe dispenser of claim 7, wherein the housing includes a bottom edge near the open end of the cavity, and wherein the projection extends from the bottom edge.
 9. The wipe dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing defines a recess therein aligned with the wipe cavity portion to facilitate grasping of the wipes in the wipe cavity portion.
 10. The wipe dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing defines an aperture there through in fluid communication with the fluid cavity portion, and wherein liquid is adapted to be introduced into the liquid cavity portion through the aperture.
 11. The wipe dispenser of claim 1, further comprising an absorbent member positioned in the cavity.
 12. The wipe dispenser of claim 11, wherein the absorbent member is positioned in the wipe cavity portion and is adapted to receive liquid from the liquid cavity portion prior to the liquid passing to the wipes.
 13. A wipe dispenser comprising: a housing including a first housing portion and a second housing portion with the first housing portion movable relative to the second housing portion, wherein the housing defines a cavity therein; a wall positioned in the cavity and adapted to separate the cavity into a liquid cavity portion and a wipe cavity portion; and a biasing member positioned between the first housing portion and the second housing portion and adapted to bias the first housing portion away from the second housing portion.
 14. The wipe dispenser of claim 13, further comprising a spray nozzle supported by the wall.
 15. The wipe dispenser of claim 13, further comprising a sealing member supported by the wall.
 16. The wipe dispenser of claim 13, wherein the housing defines an aperture there through in fluid communication with the fluid cavity portion, and wherein liquid is adapted to be introduced into the liquid cavity portion through the aperture.
 17. The wipe dispenser of claim 13, wherein the housing includes a projection near an open end of the cavity in the housing, wherein the open end has an opening area defined along a first plane and the wipe cavity portion has a wipe cavity area defined along a second plane spaced-apart from and substantially parallel to the first plane, and wherein the opening area is smaller than the wipe cavity area.
 18. The wipe dispenser of claim 17, wherein the housing includes a bottom edge near the open end of the cavity, and wherein the projection extends from the bottom edge.
 19. The wipe dispenser of claim 13, further comprising an absorbent member positioned in the cavity.
 20. The wipe dispenser of claim 19, wherein the absorbent member is positioned in the wipe cavity portion and is adapted to receive liquid from the liquid cavity portion prior to the liquid passing to wipes positioned in the wipe cavity portion. 